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Adventure 2: Need Not Apply
Plot Summary Day 1 There are several rumours at the World’s End Tavern, but the following catches the attention of the party: The Highbrooks are looking for the services of an exorcist to remove a evil spirit from their homestead. The listing includes a simple map showing the location of the Highbrook farm. 400 GP reward offered for a successful exorcism. Tieflings, half-breeds, reptiles and other monsters NEED NOT APPLY.   The Goliath, Triton and Kobold sitting at the back table take exception to the fantastical racism on display and decide to take the job.   Though the four brothers and their old man are not inclined to be at all helpful, the trio are able to snoop around enough to figure out the sordid plot. Highbrook Senior confesses everything by the end, revealing the GM's notes in the process: A farmstead is suffering from a terrifying Ghost that continues to haunt them. 10 years ago, Cindy and Brook were twin sisters, maidens in a conservative farming family. She fell in love and briefly eloped with a Tiefling named Char. They attempted to cultivate land still under threat by the goblins to the North. They worked hard, invested all they had saved, and had signs of a strong crop. The Highbrooks, incredibly racist and hateful of tieflings and other “evil races”, at first assumed Cindy and Char’s relationship and farm was doomed to fail. With no sign that Cindy would return, and what looked to be a successful crop on the horizon, they dressed as goblin raiders and salted the soil. Cindy and Char, running out of resources, grew reliant on Brook’s kindness to see them through. Brook worked as a seamstress in Havenholme, and used her modest savings to ensure Cindy and char did not starve through the bad harvest. Without her parents’ knowledge, she often made trips under cover of darkness to bring them foodstuffs and sundries. Cindy and Char, struggling but happy in each others company, announced that they were trying to get pregnant. The highbrooks, now in a panicked rage, stole out at night, in poorly crafted goblin disguises, and planned to set fire to the Char homestead. One of the brothers called out to Cindy softly, but it was Brook, in the middle of a late night visit, who answered. Craw knocked her unconscious and gave the all clear to the rest of his family. The brothers, torches in hand, set fire to the farm, burning it to the ground. In the raging inferno, Char did all he could to protect Cindy and bring her safely outside. Char, with his Tiefling resistance to fire, made it out while clinging to dear life… Cindy was burned to an unrecognizable lump in his arms. Pendle Highbrook, realizing the mistake too late, swore his family to silence and took Char into his basement. In his twisted madness, he blamed Char for all that had happened. Brook was forced to abandon her job in town, and has been isolated by the rest of the family from outside contact. Now Cindy haunts their farmstead every night, attempting to save her love from his torture at her father’s hands. The adventurers rescue and heal Char, put Cindy's ghost to rest, and use non-lethal damage to take down all but one of the four brothers. (Highbrook Junior was hit by a raging barbarian leaping from the barn roof and was not able to stand up again) Highbrook Sr. is brought back to Havenholme to face justice in whatever passes as the local courts. Brook wants to donate the 400GP reward to Char as a settlement for the trauma and to help the tiefling start life over, and the party agrees to donate the funds. Days 2-3 There are several rumours at the World’s End Tavern, but the following catches the attention of the party: A family of Hill Giants have been stealing cattle and other livestock from farms around Hamburger Hill. 1000gp, 2 cows, and all the wine you can drink. See Lasse Hallström at the World’s End tavern for details. Very dangerous! experienced warriors only! The party gets some information on the size of the giant family and joins a caravan going east to earn some coin while travelling towards Hamburger Hill. Shortly before the destination town, the party sees black smoke about a mile to the south. Kosj and Boorak go to check it out (getting docked 10GP from their pay in the process) and befriend a group of nomads and dissuade them from burning down the local farmstead. The nomads promise to meet them again at the Cornucopia of Corn when winter arrives for further quests. Characters Present * Li-Trix Kosj * Boorak BearBearer * Zunis Vuuvaxath Category:Adventure Summaries Category:West-Marches Adventure Summaries